George W. Hoskins

George Washington "Doc" Hoskins (October 1864 – January 22, 1958) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Pennsylvania State University (1892–1895), the University of Pittsburgh (1896), and Bucknell University (1899–1906, 1909), compiling a career college football record of 59–48–9. Hoskins was also the head basketball coach at Bucknell from 1908 to 1911, tallying a mark of 21–14.

George W. Hoskins

Hoskins pictured in L'Agenda 1905, Bucknell yearbook
Biographical details
Born	October 1864 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 22, 1958(1958-01-22) (aged 93) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1892–1894	Penn State
Position(s)	End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1892–1895	Penn State
1896	Pittsburgh
1896–1897	Pittsburgh Athletic Club
1899–1906	Bucknell
1909	Bucknell
Basketball
1908–1911	Bucknell
Head coaching record
Overall	59–48–9 (college football) 21–14 (college basketball)

Early life

Hoskins was born in 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1]

Coaching career

Hoskins was the first head coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. While the school played football from 1887 to 1891, before his arrival, Hoskins is credited for being their first coach. During his tenure from 1892 to 1895, he compiled a 17–4–4 record. His .760 winning percentage ranks highest in school history, surpassing notable coaches such as Joe Paterno, Hugo Bezdek, and Rip Engle. He lost his first college football game at the University of Pennsylvania, and tied his final game against Western Reserve University.

He followed up his career at Penn State by becoming the third-ever head coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers in 1896. By mid-November 1896, Hoskins was called upon to become the head coach of the early professional football team, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. He tried to salvage the team's dismal season, but instead helped guide them to a 2–5–3 record. He returned as the Pittsburgh Athletic Club's coach in 1897.^[2][3]

Hoskins later served as a trainer during spring training for the Cincinnati Reds. He died in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[4]

Head coaching record

College football

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Penn State (Independent) (1892–1895)
1892	Penn State	5–1
1893	Penn State	4–1
1894	Penn State	6–0–1
1895	Penn State	2–2–3
Penn State:		17–4–4
Western University of Pennsylvania (Independent) (1896)
1896	Western University of Pennsylvania	3–6
Western University of Pennsylvania:		3–6
Bucknell (Independent) (1899–1906)
1899	Bucknell	6–4–1
1900	Bucknell	3–5–1
1901	Bucknell	6–4
1902	Bucknell	6–4
1903	Bucknell	4–5
1904	Bucknell	3–3
1905	Bucknell	5–5
1906	Bucknell	3–4–1
Bucknell (Independent) (1909)
1909	Bucknell	3–4–2
Bucknell:		39–38–5
Total:		59–48–9

See also

• 1896 Pittsburgh Athletic Club football season
• List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure

References

1. La Vie 1896. 1896. p. 112. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
2. "Must Obey the Rules". The Pittsburg Press. October 12, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "P. A. C.'s Record No Longer Clean". The Pittsburg Post. October 31, 1897. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "First Penn State Grid Coach Is Dead at 93". Daily American. Somerset, Pennsylvania. February 5, 1958. p. 17. Retrieved June 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .

Additional sources

• PFRA Research. "Last Hurrah in Allegheny" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2010.